


Understanding

by DemonDeepFried



Series: Drabbles [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Death Eater Draco Malfoy, Death Eaters, Drabble, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 17:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4675646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonDeepFried/pseuds/DemonDeepFried
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione knows what's up, and she'll be damned if she doesn't do something about it</p>
            </blockquote>





	Understanding

Hermione wasn’t blind and she certainly wasn’t stupid. 

She knew very well what sort of a person Draco Malfoy was, but she also knew who he  _wasn’t_ , and the man he wasn’t was the man he was trying so hard to be. He was a boy trying to follow his father and wishing all the way for his approval; he was a boy who had no choice but to fight and wasn’t given the freedom to choose his own side.

But the man he was trying to portray was a cruel, malicious creature and he found himself foul for some of the things that he had done. Who cared for blood lines and Hogwarts houses when the Dark Lord had been expecting you to fulfil a cursed destiny since the moment you were revealed in Mrs Malfoy’s arms.

He wasn’t as tough as they all thought. And she knew it.

Perhaps that was what prompted her to catch him in the deserted corridor in one of the wings nobody went down, and confront him. “Draco, we need to talk,” she said firmly, though her voice held no malice behind it.

The boy scoffed and wriggled away from her grip. “Get out of my sight, mudblood,” he ordered, already turning away. “I have my own business to attend to.”

“Draco!” she snapped, grabbing his arm harder this time to stop him from getting away again. “I know what’s happening to you. I’ve known for a long time.” At Malfoy’s furrowed brow, she reached her free hand over to whip back his robe’s sleeve to reveal an ugly tattoo of a skull and a writhing snake.

Immediately, Draco snatched it away and glared darkly at Hermione. “You saw nothing, clear?” he established menacingly. “If I ever found out that you  _anyon_ -”

He was silenced when Hermione slid her hand into his and captured his gaze with hers. “Draco,” she shushed quietly and calmly. “We’re gonna work through this. I know we’ve had our differences but this can’t go on and I want to help you.”

The Slytherin boy watched her for a moment longer before he was brushing away from her grip again, though- she noted- he had left his hand in hers. “You have no idea what they could do to you, Hermione,” he told her quietly- the first time he had spoken her first name to her and it sang in her ears. “No idea what the have done to countless other before…”

“Well then,” she quipped, “Guess we better start studying on some Defence Against the Dark Arts lectures.”


End file.
